5 Books to Inspire Kids to Play

Warm weather brings with it more opportunities for children to get outside and play. This is wonderful, because it is through play that children learn about the world and themselves. Child-led free play allows kids to flex their imaginations, try out different roles in the world, and explore what interests them. When parents or caregivers join in play with their children, they have the opportunity to see the world through their child's eyes, and their relationships are strengthened. And let's not forget, play is fun! It should be what childhood is all about.

Warm weather brings with it more opportunities for children to get outside and play. This is wonderful, because it is through play that children learn about the world and themselves. Child-led free play allows kids to flex their imaginations, try out different roles in the world, and explore what interests them. When parents or caregivers join in play with their children, they have the opportunity to see the world through their child's eyes, and their relationships are strengthened. And let's not forget, play is fun! It should be what childhood is all about.

But these days, play is endangered. Family lives are full. Children are often over-scheduled with enrichment activities, and academic achievement is stressed over time for free play. As parents, we need to ensure that our kids have time to play on their own, with other children, and with us.

Play should be a part of every child's day, but so should reading. Reading with children, beginning in infancy, boosts language development and exposes them to ideas and stories outside their immediate worlds. Reading and play don't need to be separate activities, though. They can go hand in hand.

Books can inspire creative and active play. Below are 5 suggestions for your next trip to the library or bookstore. Chances are, these books will make children hop to their feet and get moving. (In fact, they're perfect for children who have a hard time sitting through a story!) They make reading time playtime, and after the book is over, children will have new ideas to incorporate into their play.

1. From Head to Toe

By Eric Carle

This book introduces children to different body parts and movements, each illustrated as animals with Eric Carle's colorful painted collages. The text invites children to try acting out a new motion on each page. Try reading this book as a call and response: "I am a crocodile and I wriggle my hips. Can you do it?" Let your child do some hip wriggling (and you may want to join in!), and wait for a reply: "I can do it!"

2. We're Going on a Bear Hunt

Retold by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

In this classic and beautifully illustrated story, a family takes off on an adventure to find a bear. You and your child will want to join them as they "swish-swash" through the grass, "splash splosh" across the river, and "squelch squerch" through the mud. The words of this book inspire movement and imagination, and they'll come back to you the next time you and your child are hiking through the woods or walking to the bus stop. After reading this book, you'll both know how to turn any walk into an adventure.

3. You Are a Lion! And Other Fun Yoga Poses

By Taeeun Yoo

The pages of this book alternate simple, clear instructions for yoga poses with sing-song text and colorful imagery that make each pose come alive as a different animal. "Squat on your feet, hands on the ground. Hop up! You are a FROG. Ribbit your song, leap in the pond, all the day long." Your child will love acting like different animals, and it's a bonus that he or she will learn some authentic yoga poses along the way.

4. Not a Box and Not a Stick

By Antoinette Portis

Children know that a cardboard box can be a race car or a robot suit, and a stick can be a fishing pole or a paint brush. These two books honor this natural creativity in children, and they'll inspire them to use their imaginations to find new ways to use everyday objects.

5. If You're a Monster and You Know It

By Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley

Pairing new words and wild illustrations with the familiar tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It," this book will bring out the creative monster in your child. It's sure to get kids moving as the words instruct them to stomp their paws, twitch their tails, and wiggle their warts. If you're looking for a sweet version of the original, check out If You're Happy and You Know It! by Anna McQuinn and Sophie Fatus.

Alice Callahan, Ph.D.

Alice Callahan earned a Ph.D. in Nutrition from UC Davis (2008), followed by more than two years of postdoctoral training in fetal development at the University of Arizona. She blogs about parenting with science and love at ScienceofMom.com, and her book on the same topic will be published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2015.